Click, Connect, Protect: A Puzzle About Life Online

Why I Chose These Topics for My Connections Puzzle

As a high school teacher and a father of two, I think about technology a little differently than I used to. It's not just about what's new or exciting anymore; it's about what shapes our children, our students, and our culture. Social media and emerging technologies have permanently altered the way we communicate, learn, and grow. When I created the Connections puzzle (Click, Connect, Protect: A Puzzle About Life Online), I wanted the topics to reflect the conversations we need to be having not just in classrooms, but around dinner tables, in faculty meetings, and in our own minds as parents and educators. Each of the four themes I selected for the puzzle highlights a critical dimension of our digital lives.

Image Source: Author Created (https://connections.swellgarfo.com/)

Internet Laws and Regulations (COPPA, CIPA, Privacy, Safety)

We live in an age where kids are online before they can even spell "privacy." As both an educator and a parent, understanding laws like COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) and CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) isn’t optional, it’s essential. These regulations are designed to create guardrails, but they also remind us how vulnerable young users are. Privacy and digital safety aren’t just classroom topics anymore; they are life skills. Teaching students how to protect their information and navigate online risks safely is one of the greatest responsibilities we have today.

Building Networks and Collaboration (Crowdsourcing, Collective Intelligence, Personal Learning Network, Community)

One of the most hopeful aspects of technology is its ability to connect people. Whether it's forming a professional learning network (PLN) as a teacher or watching students work together through online collaboration, the power of collective intelligence is real. Crowdsourcing information, sharing ideas, and building communities across boundaries are now a part of everyday life. These topics reflect how the best of the digital world can foster growth, connection, and innovation when used thoughtfully.

Digital Footprint Concepts (Digital Tattoo, Online Reputation, Footprint, Permanent Record)

When I think about my own children, one already navigating early social technology, the other not far behind, the concept of a digital footprint becomes personal. Everything we post online leaves a mark, a "digital tattoo" that doesn’t easily fade. In school, we talk about reputations and choices, but today those choices can follow someone for years. Helping young people (and reminding ourselves) to think critically about their online presence is crucial. The idea that every action, every post, every like can contribute to a permanent record is something I want my students and my own kids to fully understand.

Core Themes in Technology and Media (Social Media, Technology, Media Literacy, Communication)

At the center of all these conversations are the fundamental tools: social media, communication platforms, and emerging technologies. Yet tools are only as powerful or as dangerous as the literacy of the people using them. Media literacy, in particular, has become a non-negotiable skill. Students must be able to question what they see, understand how information is shaped, and communicate responsibly. As an educator, I see it as my duty not just to teach content but to help build discerning, thoughtful citizens who can thrive in a digital world.

Image Source: Author Created (https://connections.swellgarfo.com/game/-OOtjwZ5kF49iyKz590j)

Why It Matters

In creating this puzzle, I wasn't just building an academic exercise. I was highlighting the conversations we need to prioritize as teachers, as parents, as participants in an increasingly digital society. Social media and emerging technologies aren't going away; they are growing faster than ever. Our job is to prepare students not just to use them, but to understand them, to question them, and to respect the power they hold. At the end of the day, it’s about stewardship. Stewardship of our students’ futures, stewardship of our children's wellbeing, and stewardship of the kind of digital world we’re helping to shape. These topics remind me of that responsibility and I hope they inspire others to reflect on it too.

Building Media Literacy in the Math Classroom and at Home

In both my roles, as a high school math teacher and as a father to a fourth-grade daughter and a seventh-grade son, I’ve become increasingly aware of how media shapes the way young people think, communicate, and interact with the world. While media literacy might not seem like a natural fit in a math classroom, I believe it's essential for educators in every subject area to help students navigate today’s digital world with critical eyes and thoughtful minds.

We live in a time when students are constantly bombarded by information, videos, memes, social media posts, influencer commentary, AI-generated content, and much of it feels authoritative, whether it actually is or not. The challenge isn't just to “stay informed” anymore; it’s to know how to think about the information that’s out there.

Image Source:  https://ssir.org/articles/entry/strengthen_media_literacy_to_win_the_fight_against_misinformation#

Renee Hobbs’ Five Core Competencies of Media Literacy

Renee Hobbs offers a clear and practical framework for media literacy through her five core competencies:

1. Access: locating and using media content across platforms
2. Analyze: examining media messages for bias, purpose, and audience
3. Create: producing responsible, ethical, and effective media
4. Reflect: being aware of how media affects one’s thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors
5. Act: engaging thoughtfully and respectfully in digital and public conversations

Image Source: https://reneehobbs.medium.com/educators-all-around-the-world-are-engaged-in-the-process-of-online-learning-during-the-time-of-3e8c0beb982b

As a math teacher, I’m constantly encouraging my students to think critically about numbers and data. When we examine graphs, headlines, or infographics in class, we are often working within Hobbs’ “analyze” and “reflect” competencies. I want students to ask: Who made this? What are they trying to show me? What’s not being said?

At home, these competencies come into play in different ways. My seventh-grade son is starting to explore YouTube more deeply, and my fourth-grade daughter recently asked why some videos she sees keep repeating similar themes. These are perfect moments to talk about the algorithms behind platforms, how media is curated and how it can shape what we believe. We’re not just talking about screen time, we’re talking about the meaning behind that screen time.

The Continued Relevance of Rheingold’s Social Media Literacies

Howard Rheingold’s social media literacies, Attention, Participation, Collaboration, Network Awareness, and Critical Consumption, still hold up well, even though his article was published back in 2010. However, I think the stakes have grown higher. The rise of misinformation and AI-generated content means students must develop sharper tools for discernment.

Image Source: https://pressbooks.pub/buckscollegesuccess/chapter/8-3-communication-and-technology/

Rheingold's ideas echo in Hobbs’ work, and both speak to something Marshall McLuhan hinted at decades ago: The medium is the message. The way a message is delivered, whether through TikTok, Reddit, YouTube Shorts, or a news app, can impact how students interpret it. Understanding how content reaches them is just as important as what the content says.

Why It Matters in a Math Classroom

I’ve seen firsthand how statistics or charts can be manipulated to tell misleading stories. That’s why part of my math instruction includes helping students interpret data critically, not just compute it. For example, when we discuss a study in the news that claims “90% of students prefer X,” we stop and ask: How many students were surveyed? Who funded the study? Were the questions biased? This is media literacy in action, even in algebra class.

Teaching My Students (and My Kids) to Verify and Reflect

I teach my students and my own children to think critically about media by encouraging them to ask who made it. I prompt them to consider the source and its intentions, to cross-check information by comparing multiple reputable sources before forming conclusions, to recognize persuasive techniques, (such as emotional appeals) selective statistics, misleading visuals, and to pause and reflect. All of these skills alow them to create space in the constant flow of information to ask themselves, “Do I believe this? Should I?”

Ultimately, I believe all of Hobbs’ competencies are necessary, but in this moment, analysis and reflection feel particularly urgent. Our students and our own children are growing up in a world that rarely encourages slow, careful thinking. As educators and parents, we have a responsibility to help them develop these habits of mind.

So while media literacy might not have its own spot on the math syllabus, it’s become a fundamental part of how I teach and how I parent. Because the better they are at thinking critically about what they see and hear, the better they’ll be at thinking critically in every part of their lives.

Understanding CIPA and COPPA: A Teacher and Parent's Perspective

As both a high school math teacher and a father of two kids (a 7th-grade son and a 4th-grade daughter), I often find myself thinking about how our kids interact with technology. From the classroom to the living room, the internet is everywhere, and while it opens up amazing opportunities for learning and creativity, it also presents real concerns when it comes to privacy and safety. That’s where two major laws come in: CIPA and COPPA.

Image Source: https://www.bark.us/blog/cipa-compliance/

What is CIPA?

The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) was enacted by Congress in 2000 to address concerns about children’s access to obscene or harmful content over the internet. CIPA applies primarily to schools and libraries that receive discounts through the federal E-rate program, which provides funding for internet access and infrastructure. To comply, institutions must:

• Use filters to block obscene or harmful content
• Monitor online activities of minors
• Educate students about appropriate online behavior, including cyberbullying

Source: FCC Guide to CIPA

Image Source: https://www.groovypost.com/explainer/what-you-need-to-know-about-coppa-and-whether-websites-are-using-it/

What is COPPA?

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), passed in 1998, is aimed at protecting the privacy of children under the age of 13. It requires websites, apps, and online services that are directed at children or knowingly collect data from children under 13 to:

• Provide clear privacy policies
• Obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting personal information
• Allow parents to review and delete their child’s data

Source: FTC Children's Privacy Overview

Do These Laws Do Enough?

As a teacher, I appreciate that CIPA mandates internet safety education. It’s a practical step that empowers students to be critical digital citizens. However, I also see that filters can be blunt tools. They often block legitimate educational content, which can hinder learning. Worse, the tech-savvy students often find ways around them anyway.

As a parent, I’m grateful COPPA exists to put some kind of boundary on data collection for younger children. But let’s be honest, many platforms don’t enforce these rules well, and plenty of kids under 13 are using apps like YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat without meaningful oversight.

That leads me to danah boyd’s comment that COPPA teaches kids to lie, and I have to admit I think she’s right. Kids often create fake birthdates to sign up for accounts. They learn very early that the path to accessing the digital world is to fudge the truth. That’s not a great lesson.

Is 13 the Right Age?

Honestly? I’m not sure. Thirteen feels arbitrary. Developmentally, some kids are ready for more freedom and responsibility online at 11, while others may not be ready even at 15. The line has to be drawn somewhere, but what we really need is education and active parental involvement, not just age-based gatekeeping. We wouldn’t hand a kid car keys just because they turned 16. We train them. We supervise them. And we should take a similar approach with digital literacy and privacy.

The Bigger Picture

There are other efforts on the table, like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which aims to push platforms to design with children’s mental health in mind (read more here). While it’s well-intentioned, it also raises concerns about government overreach and potential censorship. Balancing safety, privacy, and freedom of expression is complicated. 

What I think we need most is a culture of digital responsibility in schools, in homes, and on the part of tech companies. That includes transparency about how data is used, better tools for parents and teachers, and real consequences for companies that violate these standards.

Image Source: https://www.tupeloschools.com/mental-health/mental-health/internet-safety

Final Thoughts

CIPA and COPPA are important, but they’re just the beginning. Our kids are growing up in a digital world we never experienced at their age. We need modernized laws, yes, but we also need ongoing conversations, tech education, and intentional parenting. As a teacher, I’ll keep talking to my students about how to stay safe online. As a dad, I’ll keep asking questions and trying (however imperfectly) to guide my kids through this world. And I hope lawmakers, educators, and tech companies will keep stepping up too.

What Happens to Our Digital Lives When We're Gone? Planning for a Digital Estate

Planning My Digital Afterlife: A Teacher, Parent, and Tech Guy’s Perspective

Like most people, I spend a big chunk of my life online. As a math teacher and budding technology specialist, I’m constantly juggling digital tools, grading on DeltaMath, sharing lessons through Google Drive, troubleshooting devices, and managing way too many logins. Add to that my personal life: family photos, YouTube playlists, online banking, cloud storage, and even the occasional forgotten subscription still quietly draining $4.99 a month. But what happens to all of that when we’re gone? If something were to happen to me, my digital life would become someone else’s puzzle to solve. And probably not an easy one. So I’ve started taking real steps toward digital estate planning, something I think all of us, especially parents and educators, should at least be thinking about.

Image Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-steps-include-digital-assets-your-estate-plan-john-heck

Why It Matters

As a husband and father of two, the last thing I want is for my wife or kids to be stuck trying to access accounts or recover photos, documents, or even just manage the loose ends I’ve left behind online. This New York Times article about families struggling with this very issue opened my eyes to how complex it can get and how simple it is to start preparing.

Here’s what I’m doing:

1. Taking Inventory: The first step has been simply listing out my digital assets: email accounts, Google Drive files, YouTube playlists, digital photos, banking apps, social media profiles, subscriptions, etc. Just seeing it all in one place was eye-opening. I've started to compile a spreadsheet (stored securely, of course) that outlines my accounts and what I’d want done with each.

2. Exploring Google’s Inactive Account Manager: Since a lot of my digital life is tied to Google (Gmail, Photos, Docs), I used their Inactive Account Manager to choose a trusted contact who can access certain data if my account goes unused for a set time. It’s simple and secure, and honestly, it took me less than 10 minutes to set up. Google makes it easy to decide what happens if your account goes inactive.

Image Source: https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/61511601/inactive-account-manager-any-detailed-help-on-what-to-expect-when-starting-it?hl=en

3. Organizing Important Documents: Thanks to Death with Dignity’s “Life File”, I’ve started compiling important documents and instructions, like which accounts should be closed, which files should be saved, and who I trust to handle it.

4. Including It in My Legal Planning: I’m working on updating my will to include a digital executor, someone who’s legally able to manage my online accounts and data. If you’ve never heard of that role before, you’re not alone. But it’s becoming more common and more necessary. It is someone we trust who can legally act on my behalf when it comes to our online accounts and data.

5. Talking with Family: We’ve had early conversations at home, nothing morbid, just practical. My wife now knows how to access my password manager if needed, and I’ve talked with my kids about the idea that our online lives matter just as much as our physical belongings.

Why I'm Sharing This

I don’t think digital estate planning gets talked about enough. As teachers, we emphasize responsibility and preparation to our students every day. This is one small way I can live that lesson out. And as a parent, it gives me peace of mind knowing that I’m not leaving a mess for my family to sort through.

If you’re reading this and haven’t started thinking about your digital afterlife yet, now’s a great time to start. Even just making a list of your accounts or setting up a Google contact is a meaningful step. If you’ve taken steps of your own or have tools or tips to share, I’d love to hear them. The more we talk about this, the easier it becomes for everyone.